Pocket-protector



(No Model.)

L. P. ROBARE.

POCKET PROTECTOR.

No. 451,197. Patented Apr. 28, 1891.

m M W m 5 n1: Noam: PPKENS co., PHOTWUTNQ, w-snmcwn, n. c.

UNITED STATES ATENT OFFICE.

LOUIS F. ROBARE, OF AU SABLE FORKS, NEXV YORK.

POCKET-PROTECTO R.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 451,197, dated April28, 1891.

Application filed December 10, 1890. Serial No. 374,186. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, LOUIS F. ROBARE, a citizen of the United States,residing at Au Sable Forks, in the county of Essex and State of NewYork, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inPocket-Protectors; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full,clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enableothers skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use thesame.

My invention has reference to a combined safety attachment andpocket-supporter; and the object I have in view is to provide a devicewhich will permit the easy removal or insertion of articles within thepocket and at the same time prevent articles from being picked out ofthe pocket without giving notice to the wearer.

A still further object of my invention is to provide means which willalways hold the mouth of the pocket in closed adjustment, whereby thegarment is made to present a neat and smooth appearance, instead ofhanging open or sagging, as in the ordinary way; and a still furtherobject of my invention is to provide an extremely simple and durabledevice which will add only a slight additional expense to the garment towhich it may be attached.

With these ends in view my invention consists in the peculiar featuresand combinations of parts more fullydescribed hereinafter, and pointedout in the claim.

In the accompanying drawings,Figure 1 represents a side view of mycomplete device; Fig. 2, a top view, in which the sides are shown spreadapart as in the act of removing or inserting something into the pocket;Fig. 3, a section of a garment to which it is applied. Fig. at is asection through 02 a: of-the preceding figure.

The entire device is made ofspring-steel with plane surfaces, and isoblong in order to surround the edges of an ordinary pocket f. Alongitudinal slot cl extends almost throughout its entire length, andthis slot is so out or otherwise made that the upper part a is slightlywider and therefore stiffer than the lower part b, so that when theupper part is pressed inward, as in Fig. 2, it will cause the lower partto spring outward, and thereby allow access to the pocket. The end 0 ofthe device is about as wide as the parts a I); but this peculiarity isnot absolutely necessary to the success of the invention.

From this construction it will be seen that the metallic piece thusformed can be applied to a garment by simply cutting a suitable openingin the cloth, then taking the lower edge of thencloth and folding itover the lower part of the metal I), and then sewing it down,

as seen in Fig. 4:. The upper part or edge of the opening in the garmentmay be drawn down over the upper part a and through the opening d andthe pocket fastened to the front edge of the cloth. WVhile this is thepreferred manner of applying my device, yet any other convenient way maybe adopted. It will be seen that the metal entirely surrounds the mouthof the pocket, so that it will be impossible to rip it out at the endsor corners, and the mouth is always held in closed adjustment, and thelower edge will lie in a straight smooth line beneath and flush with theouter surface of the cloth, thereby supporting the pocket and presentinga neat and new appearance. When it is desired to insert or removeanything from the pocket, the wearer simply presses his finger againstthe upper portion a,thereby bending it inward and causing the lowerandmore resilientportionb to spring outward in the arc of a circle, as inFig. 2. Upon releasing the finger or hand both portions a and b willimmediately recover their former positions and close the mouth of thepocket. Now when the upper section is pressed in against the body of thewearer by a pickpocket it would immediately warn him of danger, andthereby acts as a safeguard, because it is practically impossible to getinto the pocket otherwise.

The advantages of my invention are that, being composed of one integralpiece of thin spring-steel, it will bend and readily conform to theshape of the body of the wearer, and it can be made very cheap. It isnot heavy or in any way cumbersome. It Will always keep the pocketclosed and in neat position. It prevents the corners from tearing out.It makes a safeguard against pickpockets,-and it will the pocket, saidattachment having substantially parallel sides for the upper and loweredges of the pocket, one of said sides being stiffer than the other toproduce less resilieney, whereby pressure upon the stiffer side Willcause the other side to spring out, in the manner and for the purposeset forth. I

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

LOUIS F. ROBARE.

Witnesses:

R. G. DUBoIs, GEO. L. WHEELocK.

